Royce Sears-Sci-Fi/Fantasy Author

This is what our future could be if folks like Franklin Chang Díaz and his team at AdAstra are successful with the integration of their VASMIR engine into our existing space programs. What you see above is a test of the VASMIR engine, taking place here on Earth, but it is designed to function in space. A new rocket engine, big deal, right? We have all kinds of different rocket engines and they all do the same thing, There's not much difference between one rocket engine and another, right? They all push big, heavy things into orbit and make alot of noise while they're doing it. Wrong. The VASMIR engine is a completely new concept that uses a tenth of the fuel of a conventional chemical rocket and produces much more bang for the buck. Additionally, it's not using hydrogen and oxygen or solid rocket fuel but rather an inert, noble gas that is very safe to store and use. How does this make it a good rocket fuel? Isn't rocket fuel supposed to make lots of noise a...

What the Night Knows by Dean Koontz My rating: 4 of 5 stars I must admit that this is the first Dean Koontz novel I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The author's use of suspense and dread combined with a realistic merge between the natural and supernatural world was captivating. A very good read that I highly recommend. View all my reviews

Leviathan by Jack Campbell My rating: 4 of 5 stars Overall this novel is very well written. Jack Campbell is, as his bio describes, obviously well acquainted with ship and fleet movement tactics. It would be interesting to see the MO boards he used for planning these massive battles in space. (MO boards are what we use in the Navy to track and plan maneuvering operations at sea) The author's use of professionalism amongst his characters, many of whom are officers in this spacefaring Navy, is a reflection of the professionalism and dedication of sailors serving in today's Navy. There is an obvious distrust of political figures and government within the novel that many military members share, both active duty and veterans alike. This is an enjoyable read and I highly recommend it, especially for those who enjoy military science fiction. View all my reviews

Science News: First peek under clouds reveals Jupiter’s surprising depths Juno's data, and the analysis of it, indicates the colors and stripes we see on Jupiter extend at least 350-400 kilometers below the clouds. Added to that mystery is the fact that Juno measured the radio waves emanating from Jupiter, waves that ranged in frequency depending upon the depth of origin. What does it mean? Who knows? But it does lead up to some interesting questions. Why are the frequencies different depending on the depth? What's producing the colors and stripes that would maintain that degree of division across distances so vast? What's really going on inside Jupiter? Questions that this science fiction author's mind are eating up right now as I formulate all kinds of fun, freaky explanations for what we see. Story ideas are in abundance with news like this.

I’m Not Supposed to Be Here After bootcamp and ‘A’ School, my first duty station was in Gaeta, Italy, aboard the USS Belknap . Looking back on things, I probably resembled the Clerks character, Dante, in my recurring echo of, “I’m not supposed to be here.” While I was in college I learned about something called the “Peter Principle” from a very good friend, Dr. Marty Laubach, who is a sociology professor at Marshall University.  This principle set forth by Lawrence J. Peter states "In a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence... [I]n time every post tends to be occupied by an employee who is incompetent to carry out its duties... Work is accomplished by those employees who have not yet reached their level of incompetence."   Lawrence J. Peter is also quoted as saying, “Fortune knocks but once, but misfortune has much more patience.” How was I not supposed to be there? That’s a long story. I entered the Navy under a guaranteed contract...

This is the first of many posts in which I will be relating some of my experiences in the Navy. Some will be funny and some will be sad, but all are a culmination of adventures and life experiences that I hope will be entertaining.  We've heard it said many ways: "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step," "Focus on the journey, not the destination," "...it is the journy that matters in the end," but I think Tolkien said it best, "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." I read The Lord of the Rings when I was in ninth grade, so maybe that's where my love of adventure began...who knows. This is the tale of my journey, my adventure, into the United States Navy.  The date was June 7th 1994, and I remember it like it was yesterday. I was eighteen years old and I thought I knew what was ...

Word is defined as "a speech sound or series of speech sounds that symbolizes and communicates a meaning usually without being divisible into smaller units capable of independent use" by Webster's Dictionary. It's a dry definition, but it's a definition and a place to start from, really. We use words to communicate our thoughts, beliefs, and ideas to others. (Well duh... thank you for those profound "words" Captain Obvious) Renowned author, Stephen King is quoted in his book  On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft  as saying "What is writing? Writing is telepathy." If writing is telepathy, the sharing of the written word, then speaking is even more so because it is a direct transference of ideas from one person to another rather than an indirect transference via a separate medium. There you have it. Words have power, the power to transfer the ideas that shape our worldview from one person to another. (Kinda deep huh?) Why is this important? We kee...

The film "Frequencies" is summarized as: "In an alternate reality, children learn how lucky they will be (their "frequency"), knowledge which shapes their destiny. The unluckiest boy must unravel the mysteries of free will in order to pursue his forbidden love of the luckiest girl." Sounds simple, right? Just an unlucky boy pursuing a lucky girl. How exciting...another lucky vs unlucky love story... Not so much. The first paragraph of the synopsis gives us a little bit more of a clue: "Imagine that your destiny and ability to succeed in life is actually determined by a certain personal frequency that can never be changed. Imagine also that there was a definite way of determining that frequency at a very young age, thus sealing your fate forever as either a success or a failure." Frequency? What is frequency, as applied to the idea of the human body? Well, lets first look at what frequency is when we think of the millions upon millions o...

Dr. Paul Levinson , acclaimed science fiction author and professor of communications and media studies at Fordham University in New York City, had some high praise for "Prophecies of the New World." This is especially encouraging for me as a new author because Paul is not only a fellow science fiction author, but he also served as President of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America from 1998 to 2001. In reviews posted on Amazon, Goodreads, and shared on his personal Twitter account, Paul had this to say about the novel: "Rich, compelling, intellectual treat of a novel, told in detail so vivid that you can hear the rustle and feel the breeze on your face. The science in this science fiction tale is anthropology, writ large from Native Americans to aliens, from canines to CNN. The frontispieces of each chapter are themselves worth the price of admission, deftly harvested from poets and philosophers in all eras of humanity. Highly recommended!" Avail...

The Martian by Andy Weir My rating: 5 of 5 stars Okay, yeah, I know I'm a little late to the party on this one, but WOW! I loved this book! Watney's character speaks to that part of us who just wants to really tell it like it is. I love the intense realism the author imparts to Mark Watney's character. I walked away from the book with the feeling of having developed a new friend, a friend who doesn't pull any punches while giving advice. I think the author most certainly made life hard on his characters in this novel that could just as easily have been entitled "Murphy's Law on Mars," or maybe "I Pissed Off the Space Gods." "The Martian" is an action-packed adventure, a touching story that rekindles pride in the human race, and a glimpse into the heart of man's will to survive against all odds. This will become one of the classics of modern science fiction. View all my reviews